Friday, June 6, 2014

Friday night with friends: Tupelo Tornado: Giving and Taking

Friday nights are usually reserved for guest bloggers. Today, I learned of something that must be shared. It has left me utterly astounded, and I expect it will you, as well.

In the tornado, an elderly woman's home was ravaged by the wind and falling trees. By comparison to some people, her loss is small, at least in terms of dollars. In the economy standard that Christ used on seeing the widow's mite, she has lost the most of all, for she has lost essentially everything she owned, and has no way to replace it. She tried to carry on in the three rooms of her house that were still standing, until one of those rooms collapsed. After that, she carried on in the two remaining rooms. She has had no running water, and friends and church members have hauled water to her.

Her house cannot be salvaged, and a local relief organization has promised to build her a new one. A friend from her church has an empty house into which she was to move today to wait until the new one is ready. Her new home will likely be the nicest she has ever had. People from her church and others who know her have worked tirelessly to provide for her needs. There has been great joy in the planning, and offers of essentials have been generously given.

One very dear woman had inherited furniture from her parents, as well as other family members. She and her husband had stored it all in a rented storage room. When they heard of the need, they agreed it was one they could meet. What joy they had in giving her mother's lovely bedroom furniture to this elderly woman who has such great loss and such overwhelming need!

The furniture was examined in the storage room, pronounced perfect, and moved close to the door for easy access in a day or so. Arrangements were made to have the furniture cleaned and "refreshed" a bit. When they returned at the appointed time to pick it up in order to have it ready for today, they found that someone had been there before them. Thieves had broken in and stolen the bedroom furniture set aside for this sweet woman, as well as many other pieces that were stored there. As you might imagine, the lady and her husband are devastated.

It boggles my mind. The furniture has been stolen. Who would do that? Why would they steal furniture? It certainly seems as if "quick profit" would be difficult from this kind of thievery, but nonetheless, this thievery has happened. When her pastor was notified, he wisely said, "We will find something else that will do." I hope he did.

The thieves caused a very real loss, but the couple who have been burglarized have not lost what matters most. They were storing up treasures in heaven with their willing gift, and those who broke in to their storage building could not steal that.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB)

As for that elderly woman, God will make a way for her to have what she needs. I'm not sure how, but I'm confident He will.